FR3041017A1 - JUNCTION ACCESSORY FOR PROTECTIVE BARRIER - Google Patents

Abstract

A barrier barrier jointing device comprises an open collar 11, intended to be clamped around a vertical pole 3, a support 12 intended to be connected to the end of a protection bar 7, the open collar having a ZZ axis and a first end fixed to this support and a second end which is free relative to the first while being connected thereto by a screw-nut assembly (13) capable of bringing this second end towards the first end, this collar having , parallel to its axis, a height of not more than half the height of this support. The support comprises a transverse wall 12A to which are connected, by continuity of material, said first end of the collar on one side of a central zone of this wall and, on the other side of this central zone, a wafer 15 forming a buttress for said end, this plate being connected to this first end and to this wall by two mechanically weakened linear zones 16 and 17.

Description

The invention relates to a junction accessory for protective barriers, particularly within logistic areas, that is to say inside areas where handling equipment circulates and where it may be desired to protect facilities against any inadvertent movement of such devices. These include warehouses where forklifts circulate, pallet trucks, among others.

The facilities to be protected include fire stations (fire hydrants, and / or fire hoses), main or divisional electrical cabinets, or cladding feet, etc.

To do this, it is common to use vertical posts anchored in the ground, for example anchored in cement bases, on which are fixed horizontal bars, sometimes called "smooth", positioned at an appropriate level to ensure good protection, typically between 1m and 1.2m. These posts and bars are usually metallic, the bars often having a section substantially smaller than those of the posts.

Connectors, or junction accessories, for connecting such bars to such posts have long been known; thus, the document FR-2 973 850 discloses connectors comprising a ring, or collar, intended to surround a pole, integral with a sleeve-shaped support surrounding the end of a horizontal bar; more precisely, one end of the ring is integral with the sleeve and the other end of this ring is free, which can be brought as close as possible to the first end by tightening a screw or a bolt so as to tighten the ring around the pole; another screw passing through the wall of the sleeve makes it possible to fix this sleeve on the horizontal bar. To allow two bars to be attached to the same pole while at the same height, the ring of a given connector occupies at most one half high or one low half of the height of the sleeve (by superimposing the rings of two In fact, it is possible for the sleeves to be at the same height with respect to the ground, according to DE-9115826.) It is moreover known that the tightening of such a ring around a post can contribute to clamping a split sleeve around a section bar that can be circular.

According to a variant (see EP - 2 716 841) where the bars have a rectangular section, the sleeve is replaced by two flanges intended to be fixed on the vertical faces of a bar, each of the flanges being integral with one end of the ring; thus, the clamping of the flanges during their attachment against the vertical faces of a bar ensures a tightening of the ring around the pole. According to the document FR-2,870,878, the horizontal bars may be constituted by two C-plates, in which case the ring is connected to a block on the sides of which are screwed the ends of said sheets.

A configuration is also known in which the ring has ends extending beyond a wall and where a tightening by screw-nut near the axis of the collar causes the spacing of the ends inside the ring. a tubular portion of a protection bar.

The connectors may be plastic or metal, for example steel or aluminum.

These known connectors are satisfactory in a large number of cases, but the need exists to have connectors that do not detract from the overall aesthetics of the whole (an impression of lightness can be obtained when these connectors are barely visible, compared horizontal bars), allowing a guardrail thus built to perform its role of protection while emphasizing that, in the event of impact with a machine, most of the damage remains localized at the level of the bars while preserving the posts as much as possible ( understand easily that it is easier to replace a horizontal bar than a pole). The invention proposes for this purpose a connecting device for protective barrier, comprising an open collar, intended to be clamped around a vertical pole, a support intended to be connected to the end of a railing bar, the open collar having an axis and a first end fixed to this support and a second end which is free relative to the first while being connected thereto by a screw-nut assembly capable of bringing this second end towards the first end, this collar having , parallel to its axis, a height of not more than half the height of this support, characterized in that the support comprises a transverse wall to which are connected, by continuity of material, said first end of the collar of a side d a central zone of this wall and, on the other side of this central zone, a plate forming a buttress for said end, this plate as connected to said first end and said wall by two linear areas mechanically weakened.

It will be appreciated that the wafer contributes, at rest, to a good rigidity of the connection between the support and the collar, and therefore between the horizontal bar and the vertical pole. However, in the event of a shock to the bar, normally at a median level of the bar, the zone in which the collar is connected to the support is subjected to a torque which, before the pole can be degraded, will start by soliciting one of them. and / or the other mechanically weakened linear zones of the wafer; in general, at least one of these mechanically weakened zones will be broken before the post begins to be degraded, regardless of the exact nature of the stresses to which the junction accessory is subjected; in addition, this rupture may consume a substantial part of the impact energy before the post begins to be degraded. It will be understood that, in this way, an accessory according to the invention contributes to preserving the posts of a protective barrier against inadvertent movements near this barrier, on the part of human beings and especially vis-à-vis -vis of handling equipment.

To maximize the protective effect of this accessory, the height of the counterfoil, parallel to the axis of the collar, is at least greater than 75% of the height of the collar end; also advantageously (preferably combined with the aforementioned characteristic), this plate has, perpendicular to the axis of the collar and to the transverse wall, a maximum dimension equal to at least half of its height parallel to the axis of the collar . This maximum dimension extends in practice along one of the mechanically weakened areas.

According to a first possible embodiment, at least one of the mechanically weakened zones extends all along one side of the wafer having a thickness less than 75% of the thickness of the first end of the collar or of the wafer. According to another possible embodiment, at least one of the mechanically weakened zones comprises, along one side of the wafer along the wall or the first end, openings passing through this wafer. Of course, these two variants can be combined within an accessory, or even within a mechanically weakened area of such an accessory.

In a particularly simple geometric form, the wafer has a rectangular shape. Alternatively, the wafer may have a triangular shape (with a side inclined relative to the mechanically weakened areas), or even rounded. For purposes of stiffening, the collar is advantageously provided with ribs extending from one end to the other.

Advantageously, to ensure in a simple manner an effective connection between the support and a protection bar, the support comprises, extending from the wall opposite the collar, a central endpiece intended to be forcibly engaged to the inside of a tubular portion of a bar and, advantageously, a circumferential skirt intended to follow the outer wall of such a tubular portion. However, this skirt is only optional.

In order to contribute to the good maintenance of the wall of the tubular portion of the bar (possibly wedging effect between the tip and the skirt, when desired) without affecting the aesthetics given to a barrier of protection by the appearance of the poles and horizontal bars, the skirt extends, perpendicular to the wall, a distance between 5% and one third of the size of the central tip. In practice, the skirt may also have the function of masking the free edge of the bar, regardless of the tip, for example to hide irregularities resulting from the length of the bar.

Advantageously, to promote the engagement of the tip in a tubular portion of a protection bar, the tip is formed of several frustoconical walls converging in a central zone of the wall.

The collar may be formed of a single piece forming a split circle, or two pieces each formed of a semicircle.

Another object of the invention is a protective barrier formed of poles and protection bars, the junction between at least one bar and at least one pole being provided by an accessory of the type defined above.

Objects, characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the description which follows, given by way of non-limiting illustrative example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is an example of a simple special protective barrier, with four poles and three protection bars located at the same height, - Figure 2 is a detailed view showing a junction accessory according to the invention which provides the connection of a protection bar to a pole, - Figure 3 is a perspective view, and - Figure 4 is a similar perspective view without the guard bar.

Figure 1 shows an example of application of the invention. This is a protective barrier designated as 1.

This barrier comprises four vertical posts 2 to 5, in practice anchored to the ground (for example by means of cement or concrete), and horizontal protection bars 6 to 8.

The barrier 1 is used, for example, to protect a device or installation fixed to a wall, along which the posts 2 and 5 are positioned, which explains why there is no bar between these posts.

Each bar is connected at its two ends to one of the posts by means of a junction accessory, one of which is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.

It emerges from these Figures 2 to 4 that a junction accessory, designated under the general reference 10, comprises an open collar 11, intended to surround one of the posts and to be clamped around it, here the pole 3 , and a support 12 intended to be connected to the end of a bar, here the bar 7.

The collar here consists of two half-circles 11A and 11B joined at their ends by screw-nut devices 13.

It is easily understood that, alternatively, the collar may be integral with a first end connected to the support and another end, normally free, but connected to the first by a single screw-nut device 13. For the purpose of rigidification, this collar may comprise ribs extending from one end to the other (each of the half-circles, or the open circle).

To describe the geometry of this accessory, we can refer to the axis of this collar, noted Z-Z in Figure 2, which is normally coincident with that of a pole, when this accessory has been attached.

The collar has, parallel to this axis, a height equal to at most half of this support, so as to allow, in known manner, that there may be, connected to the same pole, two bars located at the same height screw to the ground. More specifically, the collar occupies an upper half or a lower half of the height of the support (the upper half in these figures 2 to 4).

The support 12 comprises a transverse wall 12A to which are connected, by continuity of material: • On one side (on the left side of the figures), said first end of the collar on one side of a central zone of this wall and on the other side of this central zone, a plate 15 forming a buttress for said end, this plate being connected to this first end and to this wall by two mechanically weakened linear zones 16 and 17 (see FIG. 2), and • On the other side (on the right side of the figures), projections for fixing the support to a bar, namely, in the example shown here, a tip 18 and a peripheral skirt 19.

Indeed, in the example considered, the bar 7 is a hollow tube (at least at its end) and the end piece 18 is intended to be forcibly engaged inside the end of this tube so as to to be fixed by friction; this tip advantageously has a conical shape; more precisely, this tip is here formed of several frustoconical walls 18A to 18D converging in a central zone of the wall 12. These walls are frustoconical in that their longitudinal edges, transverse to the wall 12, are not strictly perpendicular to this wall but are inclined, for example by an angle between 2 and 10 ° so as to define with the edges of the other walls 18A to 18D, a frustoconical envelope whose section decreases away from the wall 12.

This cross configuration of the nozzle has the particular advantage of allowing good fixing in the tubular end of a bar while minimizing the amount of material necessary to form this tip; in addition, it allows that, in case of excessive force, one or the other of the walls 18A to 18D may bend laterally. However, alternatively, this tip may also be formed of a different number of walls (for example only three, or even on the contrary a number greater than 4, for example 6); this tip can even be massive.

Regarding the peripheral skirt 19, it is intended to externally run the outer wall of the end of the bar 7. In combination with the tip, it ensures a good maintenance of the end of the bar, preventing it from flaring under the effect of the presence of the tip; there may be a wedging effect of the tubular wall of the bar between the tip and this skirt. This skirt also allows, regardless of the tip, to hide the free edge of the end of the bar, and therefore sometimes unsightly consequences of a length of a bar. In this case, the length of the skirt, transversely to the wall 12, may represent only a very small fraction of the length of the tip, for example barely 5%, or on the contrary extend to about one third of this distance.

If this skirt extends over a significant length, for example at least equal to the maximum transverse dimension of the wall 12, it is understood that it can allow attachment of the accessory on the free end of the bar without requiring the presence of the tip.

It is understood that, if we do not need to hide the free edge of the bar, the skirt can be omitted if the tip is sufficient to ensure good fixing.

The plate 15 stiffens the connection between the support 12 and the collar 11, and therefore between the horizontal bar and the vertical pole.

However, due to the presence of mechanically weakened linear zones, this stiffening is not done to the detriment of the pole in case of untimely stress applied to the bar, for example due to a shock given by a handling machine.

It is understood that when a force is applied laterally to the bar, it is transmitted to the support, here at the end and therefore to the wall 12.

Due to the eccentricity of the collar relative to this wall 12, the force applied to the bar results in a torque applied between this wall 12 and, since the end of the collar is connected more securely to the support than the platelet, it is the connection between the plate and the support which breaks as a result of this pair and part of the energy related to this effort is consumed by the rupture of one or the other mechanically weakened areas 16 or 17.

More generally, the junction between the support and the collar will be degraded before the pole itself can be degraded due to the forces applied to the bar, regardless of the exact nature of these efforts.

It will be understood that, in this way, an accessory according to the invention contributes to preserving the posts of a protective barrier against inadvertent movements near this barrier, on the part of human beings and especially vis-à-vis -vis of handling equipment.

To maximize the protective effect of this accessory, the height of the buttress plate 15, parallel to the axis of the collar, is at least greater than 75% of the height of the end of the collar; also advantageously (preferably combined with the aforementioned characteristic), this plate has, perpendicular to the axis of the collar and to the transverse wall, a maximum dimension equal to at least half of its height parallel to the axis of the collar . This maximum dimension extends in practice along one of the mechanically weakened areas.

In the example shown, the mechanically weakened linear zones extend over the entire length of the side of the wafer where these zones are located by presenting a reduction in thickness, in practice at least 25% to form a mechanically significant zone. weakened relative to the connection of the collar to the wall 12. In other words, the thickness of the mechanically weakened linear zones is less than 75% of that of the wafer, in practice identical to that of the wafer.

The thickness reduction is here performed on an area having a non-zero width, for example of the order of 1 to 2 times the thickness reduction; alternatively not shown, this reduction in thickness can be achieved by the acute bottom of a notch.

According to another possible embodiment, at least one of the mechanically weakened zones comprises, along one side of the wafer along the wall or the first end, openings passing through this wafer. Of course, these two variants can be combined within an accessory, or even within a mechanically weakened area of such an accessory.

It will be understood that the mechanical losses of the two zones 16 and 17 may be of different natures (one being defined by a reduction in thickness, the other by a succession of openings), or may combine several types of mechanical weakening. .

The accessories are advantageously made of plastic, for example polycarbonate, or polyvinyl chloride, which facilitates obtaining complex geometries

In a particularly simple geometric form, the wafer has a rectangular shape. In the example shown, the dimension of this wafer perpendicular to the wall 12 is substantially equal to the end portion of the collar which extends transversely to the wall before curving in a circle; thus, the wafer extends from the wall 12 until its edge is near a pole encircled by the collar.

Alternatively, the wafer may have a triangular shape (with a side inclined relative to the mechanically weakened areas), or even rounded.

It will be appreciated that in the configuration of Figure 1, the accessories according to the invention are very discrete; they can have a strong visual contrast vis-à-vis the bars and / or poles. For example, the accessories are dark in color, while the bars and posts are light in color, for example yellow.

Claims (10)

1. Protective barrier junction accessory, having an open collar (11), to be clamped around a vertical post (2, 3, 4, 5), a support (12) for connection to the end of a protection bar (6-8), the open collar having an axis (ZZ) and a first end attached to this support and a second end which is free with respect to the first while being connected thereto by an assembly screw-nut (13) capable of bringing this second end towards the first end, this collar having, parallel to its axis, a height of not more than half the height of this support, characterized in that the support comprises a transverse wall 12A) to which are connected, by continuity of material, said first end of the collar on one side of a central zone of this wall and, on the other side of this central zone, a plate (15) forming a buttress for said end, this wafer being connected to this first end and to this wall by two mechanically weakened linear zones (16, 17). 2. Accessory according to claim 1, the buttress plate has, parallel to the axis of the collar, a dimension at least greater than 75% of the height of the end of the collar. 3. Accessory according to claim 1 or claim 2, the buttress plate a, perpendicular to the axis of the collar and the transverse wall, a maximum dimension equal to at least half of its height parallel to the axis of the necklace. 4. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one mechanically weakened zone extends all along one side of the wafer having a thickness less than 75% of the thickness of the first end. collar or wafer. 5. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one mechanically weakened zone comprises, along one side of the wafer along the wall or the first end, openings passing through this wafer. 6. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 4, whose plate has a rectangular shape. 7. Accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the support comprises, extending from the wall opposite the collar, a central endpiece (18) to be forcibly engaged inside. a tubular portion of a bar and a circumferential skirt (19) for extending along the outer wall of such a tubular portion. 8. Accessory according to claim 7, wherein the skirt extends perpendicularly to the wall, a distance less than one third of the size of the central nozzle. 9. Accessory according to claim 7 or claim 8, the tip is formed of a plurality of frustoconical walls converging in a central zone of the wall. 10. Protective barrier (1) having at least two vertical posts (2-5) and at least one horizontal bar (6-8), this bar being connected to the posts by at least one accessory (10) according to any one Claims 1 to 9.